What Are Bonus Questions for Exams?
In an actual classroom, a teacher might say to the class: “I know some of you made mistakes on this test. I’m going to give you 3-5 bonus points to make up for them.” Bonus questions are also used in assessments; hiring managers sometimes include extra questions for candidates to answer if they have time.
The point is that instructors or evaluators want to offer students or candidates a chance to show what they know beyond the basic requirements of the assessment. Sometimes these bonus items are meant to help someone who made an error correct it, but they can also be designed to engage students with the material more deeply.
When and Why to Use Bonus Questions
It makes sense to use bonus questions when there is a risk that a mistake could unfairly hurt a student’s grade, as in high-stakes exams. It also makes sense to use them in a job interview when the candidate has the opportunity to demonstrate something unexpected. In those cases, a bonus question can provide insight into a candidate’s thinking, creativity, or problem-solving abilities that aren’t apparent from the main questions.
In both academic and professional settings, bonus questions can be fun or lighthearted. For example, one professor told me that he would sometimes ask his students to write down the color of George Washington’s horse (it was white). Other times, he would ask for the name of the first president’s dog (it was named Nixon).
But bonus questions can also be serious. If a question on a test is particularly hard, or if it is ambiguous, a student who knows the material well enough to answer the main question but didn’t understand the nuance of the bonus question may lose points.
Or, alternatively, a student who got the main question wrong but got the bonus question right may gain points. A single question can change a student’s final grade.
Bonus questions are not always present, and their intent is not always clear, but when they are, they offer an extra opportunity for people to show what they know. But they must be used carefully.
Best Practices for Bonus Questions
For instance, in technical interviews, hiring managers often include a bonus question that allows candidates to go above and beyond the expectations of the job description. In my experience, candidates like that kind of challenge, and it gives the interviewer a better idea of how they think through problems than does the main set of questions. When done thoughtfully, such a question can reveal a lot about a candidate’s ability to think through unfamiliar challenges.
But bonus content needs to be clearly explained so that candidates know whether they’ll count toward the score and how much weight they’ll carry. Otherwise, candidates may feel that the bonus questions are unfair or confusing.
In academic settings, bonus questions can be a way for teachers to reward students who have mastered the material. They can also be a way to ease anxiety over difficult tests. The same question that seems impossible to everyone else can seem simple to someone who truly understands the material. Giving a little bit of extra credit for answering a tough question can motivate students to dig deeper and take a few minutes to think through a problem rather than just guess at an answer.
But bonus questions shouldn’t become a crutch. If a test is poorly designed, then adding bonus questions will only muddy the waters. And if students come to expect bonus questions, they may try to do worse work on the main questions because they figure they can always recover with a bonus question.
Bonus questions also run the risk of inflating scores. In a hiring context, where fairness matters a great deal, they can be problematic.
If you’re using bonus questions, be sure to explain clearly when and how they’ll count. Use them deliberately, either to highlight understanding or to reduce stress. If you’re writing your own exam, make sure that any bonus questions tie back to the learning objectives.